Chapter 00026: A Troublesome Autumn (Thanks to the Illusive Master of the Overcast Sky)
# A Troublesome Autumn (Thanks to the Illusive Master of the Overcast Sky)
Chapter 26
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 26: A Troublesome Autumn (Thanks to the Illusive Master of the Overcast Sky)
"Can’t you think a bit at this time?"
Wen Wen couldn’t help but grind her teeth, wanting to give him a whack on the back of his head.
"The total amount of Dragon Blood is fixed. Lawrence has evaporated; there's no need to worry. If there’s no residue on the scene, then it must be lingering on you! The Elder's mouth primarily serves to heal and restore, but it’s not specialized for dealing with mutations that directly rewrite the soul and genes. You have to be on guard! If there are any changes or issues, call me anytime, got it?"
"Oh, oh, okay!"
Ji Jue nodded, taking in her words.
Truth be told, he trusted his ever-dependable cousin.
Since she said he was all clean, there had to be no problems.
Besides, he had been eating well lately, sleeping like a dead pig the moment he hit the bed, everything seemed just fine.
"…"
After a brief silence, Wen Wen hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "To be honest, I wasn't very honest about this matter. If I had reported the situation back then, the Security Bureau would have surely rewarded you, but with Yacheng’s current state, anything will leak out if you so much as fart. Your heavenly selection summons would be hard to hide. By then, who knows how many demons and monsters will come knocking? Getting too close to them too soon is not a good thing for you. The last unfortunate soul was…"
She paused, choosing not to continue.
"I took charge and kept your business under wraps. If you feel uncomfortable about it, I can still report it now."
"Not at all."
Ji Jue chuckled; he knew too well the nature of the Federation; there was no way to trust them.
According to Wen Wen, when he underwent the selection ceremony, nine highly qualified individuals were summoned.
This seemed quite exaggerated.
If he were a noble citizen with a glorious family history, maybe he could flaunt it at a grand feast, but as a student with no backing and many issues that couldn’t withstand scrutiny, it was better not to jump head first into deep water.
These days, it was no longer the era of hot-blooded protagonists fighting to the death; everyone was just surviving.
The longer you could hang in there, the better.
If Wen Wen could help him keep this under wraps, he felt rather relieved.
Wen Wen really was a big sister, so righteous!
He didn't say more, giving her a thumbs-up, which made Wen Wen smile, and it seemed her mood lightened considerably.
"Alright, let’s leave it at that. You take good care of yourself."
She gave Ji Jue’s shoulder a pat and added with a mysterious smile, “Once you recover, I’ll introduce you to something good!"
"Really? Foster father?"
Ji Jue was delighted, hesitating for a moment but feeling guilty for always taking without contributing.
Gathering his courage, he put on a business-like smile, "Wen Jie, look at me, I still have my charm..."
"Get lost!!!"
Wen Wen shot him a look and breezed out without turning back.
So carefree.
Like a scoundrel who would run away when pushed to pay his debts.
Thus, Ji Jue stayed in the hospital, recovering for over half a month.
To be honest, if it weren’t for that dog Lawrence, he might just have slapped on a patch and gone home.
First came the corruption from the vortex planting technique, followed by massive infusion of mutated spiritual essence.
After exhausting himself with a drastic life-saving pact and then being twisted by the Dragon Blood mutation, he finally got a punch from Minerva.
After that series of services, even the strongest would crumble.
The reason he was still alive, moving, and breathing was all thanks to his dependable cousin, who had drawn out the excess and bore the brunt of it, while Ji Jue merely drifted through it all.
Even the chosen ones couldn’t be took lightly, right?
With the Elder’s mouth, he began his binge-eating spree.
Seven meals a day became his unwavering routine, indulging to the point that even the cafeteria mice seemed close to tears, finally replenishing half of what he had lost.
After a check-up, the whole department erupted with cheers to send this unfortunate soul off for his discharge.
Just like that, he was kicked out the door.
Still not satisfied with eating, Ji Jue swaggered over to the Lu family’s place to feast again, performing a classic act of devouring food while Lu Ma cooked, tears streaming down her face as she scolded the hospital for what they had done to her poor child.
In the end, he left behind a box of extracurricular exercises under the shocked and terrified gazes of his younger siblings, clutching half a takeout chicken as he strutted away.
Life felt complete.
"This is living!"
Ji Jue lay in his cozy nook, legs crossed, relishing the familiar comfort.
He spent half the day cleaning his home, replaced the old fridge, hummed a tune while taking a shower, then lay back to read, enjoying the peace of his life.
How wonderful was this? Wasn’t it far better than fighting for life or death with that dog Lawrence?
There was really no comparison!
Thinking about the pleasant life built on that dog’s sacrifice, Ji Jue was moved to tears, clasping his hands in prayer, wishing for such a good death for Lawrence!
He hoped that if Lawrence had any awareness in the afterlife, he would exert some effort to contribute to Ji Jue's beautiful life by…
Boom!
A sudden loud noise erupted from the night.
Ji Jue jolted awake, falling off the bed, instinctively looking around only to realize the sound came from downstairs?
No way?!
He cautiously poked his head out, glancing down the stairs, and was stunned to see… his house's freshly repaired door had been broken down?
Immediately, his already relaxed heart plummeted again, and he couldn’t help but swear under his breath.
Yet, why did this scene seem so familiar?!
In the silence, a tiny, crisp sound echoed in the quiet.
Ji Jue’s hairs stood on end as he groped around and pulled out a steel rod, inching down step by step until he spotted two trails of dirt leading from the doorway into his kitchen.
In the dim light from the fridge, half a door that barely hung on swayed slowly, concealing the intruder behind it, the only sound coming was that of chewing.
Ji Jue's heartbeat dropped to the floor!
“My new fridge!!!”
He screamed in despair, nearly bursting with rage.
He had just spent over six hundred on a second-hand nearly new model, and now it was wrecked!
“I’m going to take every last one of you dogs down!”
He bellowed, swinging the iron rod and charging into the kitchen.
Finally seeing the intruder's full form, the bizarre figure positioned at the fridge’s edge, continuously writhing and devouring, made him gasp.
The pink body covered in mud and dust, the makeshift door handles scavenged from a junk yard, mismatched wheels, and the exhaust pipes made from scrap parts of a sports car...
It was his little sheep that had gone completely missing from Jici Hospital!!!
Though, after such a long absence, he hardly recognized it—at least the little sheep he knew wouldn’t be lying on his fridge like a living creature with an open shell that revealed a huge mechanical ‘mouth,’ gnawing…
“My white cut chicken!!!”
Tears finally streamed from Ji Jue’s eyes.
Upon hearing Ji Jue’s furious shout, the little sheep’s actions seemed to pause momentarily, then sped up again, lifting its head to gulp down the chicken bones before scampering out of the fridge, retreating to the corner.
Its headlights flickered, seemingly probing Ji Jue's expression.
Cautiously.
In the stillness, it approached a little, then retreated, inching closer again, finally raising a hand to nudge Ji Jue, turning the headlights on and off, honking repeatedly.
It began to wildly shake its fenders.
Like a dog wagging its tail.
"You… you…"
Ji Jue recalled Wen Wen's grave warning from half a month ago, and darkness suddenly enveloped him, feeling as if fate had returned with a vengeance, crashing into his face after all this time.
Now he finally understood where that Dragon Blood residue had gone…
“Beep—!!!”
The little sheep seemed to have misunderstood something, suddenly lifting its front wheels and scrambling onto Ji Jue, excitedly squirming, its plastic shell opening wide to reveal an oily tongue that licked his face.
Ji Jue lay expressionless, falling back in defeat.
I’m tired; destroy me.
“There’s still some time before destruction.”
Under the same heavens, in a wilderness camp, an old woman sat upon a stone, gazing into the distance at the ruins. “Though it’s not far, if we get through this, we might still buy ourselves another ten years or so.”
The voice on the phone paused briefly before continuing with the report.
“Alright, understood.”
The older woman nodded, “Currently, our hands are still tied here in Quancheng, but we're counting on you all to handle things in Yacheng. Haizhou would never waste manpower for this long; results should come soon.”
After a few final pleasantries, the call ended.
In the silence, only the night wind howled mournfully.
From the distant ruined city, came cries reminiscent of hell, as tendrils of black mist rose into the sky, disappearing into the darkness.
She remained oblivious, eyes lowered in thought.
Blood thirst, the cave in Quancheng, the Western Expedition plan, those fellows in the Holy Land, the Primordial Spirits, the ambitions of the Restoration Society, and a never-ending stream of Solomons scheming behind the scenes… Not to mention the lurking Nirvana in the shadows!
Lawrence, the metamorphic insect, was confirmed dead.
Currently, the Dragon Sacrifice Club had yet to make any moves, but it wouldn’t just let things be.
As for Wen Wen, that kid was revealing her talents much faster than unexpectedly anticipated.
However, given her temperament, once she got her footing, would she really 'turn over a new leaf' and behave?
One could almost predict the chaos that lay ahead.
A smile curved her lips.
It seemed like she was looking forward to it.
Yet, as she raised her eyes towards the night sky, that smile gradually disappeared, leaving only gravity behind.
“What in the world are you guys thinking?”
She gazed into the void of the night sky, whispering softly, “Isn’t this world chaotic enough already?”
No one responded.
The night remained silent, stars shimmering like the eyes of deities, high and indifferent, unshaken by the cries and turmoil on the earth below.
She withdrew her gaze.
There was a mountain of unfinished business in her mailbox, inquiries coming in from Mid City, not to mention the other major cities across the Federation and even those from the Imperial side… Almost everyone she knew was eagerly seeking news, inquiring about the events of the previous time.
It had been so long, yet things still hadn’t settled.
Compared to the overwhelming ceremony of destiny, the hidden dangers in the cave of Quancheng seemed trivial at best.
The self-awakened chosen ones had always been precious, especially considering that this would be the first event of such a terrifying scale, not just for Yacheng but for Haizhou and most of the Federation combined…
Twelve principles, ruling over the nine!
Even one of them would suffice to lay the foundation of the Heavens and Humans, but the variables involved in nine would be staggering!
“Seventeen years later, the real call of destiny.”
She sighed lightly, turning back towards the camp.
The summer breeze blew, cooling as time passed; after a few storms, a chill would surely set in, leaves would turn yellow, and fall with the wind.
It was once again a troublesome autumn.
(The End of This Chapter)